A day at Tao's Philippines farm

Tao Dipnay Farm

From the first crackling of the fire just before dawn to the sounds of otters fishing by moonlight, there's always something happening at Tao Dipnay Farm in Palawan.

05:00

Morning brings the best out at the farm. Golden sunlight through smoke and flour in the kitchen.

“I don’t have to set an alarm. The cockerels in the village wake me up at 4am each morning. My wife and I enjoy a coffee together – it’s peaceful while the children are still sleeping. Then she drives me to work on the motorbike we share. We bake 120 bread rolls every morning. I love it. From firing up the oven to kneading the dough, you can’t rush the process. In the afternoons I go home to work on my house. We have made everything, including the bricks.” Emong, Tao baker

06:00

The beach is cool in the mornings, but never still. Children leave for school as the fish arrives.

“I was born in Dipnay. I know every grain of sand on the beach – it’s practically part of the family. My mum is one of the masseuses and my brothers also work here. My father and grandfather were fishermen so it’s in my blood. But Tao has given me the opportunity to be someone new. Every day boatloads of supplies arrive here. One day it might be coconuts, another day new native roofing materials.” Dok, Lost Boy on kitchen duty 

07:00

While the guests still cling to sleep, dawn breaks, flooding the beach in pink and lemon-yellow light.

“It’s so quiet before the guests are awake, with just the sounds of the birds and waves and a few people around getting things ready for the day. I walk along the beach each morning with my son – it’s such a privilege. One of the great things about working here is we are allowed to bring our children to work. And you don’t just sit there in an office, you can walk around and enjoy the beauty. I look after about 45 women, both masseuses and sewers. I love that part of my job is empowering other women to earn a living. It does come with challenges – not just teaching them how to massage but how to manage their time too. On a busy day we might do 85 massages!” Pi, Tao Kalahi Foundation manager 

15:00

Humming bees, rustling the trees... the farm is constantly buzzing with activity.

“We harvest banana hearts every morning. We go through 12 to 15 every day in the Kantina, making banana heart burgers from saba bananas – a variety that’s good for cooking. These banana trees grow naturally here and we have more than 1,000 on the Farm. It takes a banana tree about six to eight months to mature and produce a heart. The heart shoots out first, but you have to be patient – if you harvest it right away the whole tree will die without producing any bananas.” Manilyn, Kantina kitchen staff 

17:00

Golden hour approaches and there's a distinct moment of stillness, a pause as day rolls into evening.

“Sunset is the best time of day here. Guests start to arrive at the bar, meeting people for the first time or full of excitement for the great day they’ve had. The beach is golden and I’ve seen guests in tears because of the beauty, so I always take a moment to appreciate my surroundings. The most popular drink here is the Tamarind Margarita – the tamarind comes from the Farm. It’s even more popular than Jungle Juice! We also harvest a kilo of basil a week for the Basil Smashes. I don’t know if you realise how light basil is, but that’s a lot! We start serving at 3pm, although we don’t serve cocktails until later. The sun is so strong here, we have to look after the guests.” Lester, bar manager 

22:00

As the comings and goings of the nocturnal tribe unfold, someone is keeping a close eye on proceedings.

“We patrol Tao Dipnay Farm and the beach all through the night, making sure that everyone is safe and helping out if any problems arise, like switching from solar to the generator if the batteries run low. I’m also the man to go to for any after-hours gossip – I’ve seen it all! There’s something really special about night here. There’s a family of about 40 otters who live in the creek in the forest and come down when it’s a new moon to fish in the ocean. The first time I saw that I had to pinch myself.” Bicaldo, night ranger